Wildlight held an all-day hands-on for Highguard after a mixed trailer reception

Kotaku reports Wildlight Entertainment invited media and creators to an all-day hands-on event in Los Angeles to play Highguard, a 3v3 "raid shooter" that was revealed as the closer to last month’s Game Awards.

Attendees said the trailer’s reception had been mixed and many had only that short showcase to frame expectations, so the studio ran a detailed presentation explaining the concept of a "PvP raid shooter." Wildlight told the audience the game draws inspiration from the experience of riding to and raiding bases in Rust and that the team originally intended to shadowdrop the title; the Game Awards slot came late after Geoff Keighley offered the spot. Before playing, press watched an overview of the game’s systems, then sampled matches on clustered PC stations with high-end Dell 4K OLED monitors, with controllers available on request, while 3D models and concept art were displayed around the venue.

The Highguard Launch Event was scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and organizers provided per diem cards but no afterparty. The author published hands-on impressions and said the studio appears to be hoping the game will "speak for itself," though whether the reveal misstep will ultimately matter remains uncertain.